Today we’d like to introduce you to Kamari Odom.
Hi Kamari, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated with race cars. I would even go so far to say that Hot Wheels cars were my kryptonite as a young boy. My mom says that I probably collected over 200 of them over the course of my childhood as rewards for good grades and for always being on my best behavior. When I wasn’t playing with my cars, I liked building bridges with my Legos to make an obstacle course for my Hot Wheels cars.
My mom recalls how she would sit and observe me, and describes how I had a very unique and methodical way that I would line up each car, one behind the other, in several rows with the focused concentration of a surgeon. It seemed as if I was in another world altogether. Who knew at that time how deeply my child’s play would impact my life to the point of relentless pursuit for a professional career as a race car driver?
Motorsports and racing are my passion. My dream is to become a highly successful Formula 1 driver and champion (and consistently race in other open/closed wheel racing series and circuits around the world). I would be one of very few African-Americans involved in the sport overall. My mission is to be a positive role model and motivate youth to pursue opportunities in motorsports. I want to demonstrate that we can participate in other sports outside of basketball and football. I feel that service to others is important because no matter how small your contribution, you can touch others in a big way.
My passion for racing started after I had my first karting experience when I was six years old, and I officially started my path to racing when I was 17. There’s not much talk about motorsports as a career in schools and it was not a subject of interest in my family circle, so this was a brand-new adventure I would embark on. Eventually, I sought out all of the opportunities to get involved that wouldn’t break the bank because I quickly learned that participating in motorsports can be quite expensive. I wouldn’t let that stop me.
I’ve spent several years perfecting my skills virtually through sim racing and participating in esports. Looking back, I realize that most of the video games I owned when I was younger were racing games.
I found an opportunity within my neighborhood to test my virtual racing skills in real life. I started karting at Andretti’s in Roswell and K1 Speed in Lawrenceville, and participated in a K1 Speed Challenge Grand Prix Series….the adrenal rush was through the roof! More research led me to karting on a real track outside and I discovered Atlanta Motorsports Park in Dawsonville. How come I didn’t know about this sooner??? Eventually, I completed a karting school there and never looked back.
My love for race cars sparked a desire to find out how to build cars so that I can build my own Formula 1 car. This led to my interest in Mechanical Engineering and I’m currently studying to obtain a bachelor’s degree. I was excited to find out that my school has a collegiate Formula SAE Motorsports team so that made it even more worthwhile.
To gain more contacts in the industry, I started attending popular races like NASCAR and Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. At one of the events, I stumbled across a table for a non-profit motorsports program for middle and high school youth that taught STEM principles through a mock race team ownership curriculum. I became a volunteer and gained the confidence to initiate a conversation with a racing school director, which eventually turned into an apprenticeship. I knew that educating myself about racing analytics, networking with drivers and being directly involved in motorsports would be beneficial in learning more about different aspects of the industry.
The apprenticeship opened the opportunity to attend the racing school and I had my first experience in a real race car, a Radical SR 1. I was one step closer to fulfilling my dreams. After that, I was able to obtain my racing competition license from Sports Car Club of America (SCCA).
Nothing but great things have been happening since that experience. Drivers and team owners were starting to invite me to come out and watch races in the “paddock” where all the action happens behind the scenes. I’ve been introduced to several influential people in the industry, a few of which are mentors of mine today. I’ve had the extreme honor of meeting racing legends such as Willy T. Ribbs and Harry “Doc” Bundy. I was invited to participate in the Andretti FASTTRACK Xperience, an innovative program for students to learn STEAM concepts through the backdrop of motorsports developed in partnership with Kia Motors America. As a result, I had the honor of meeting Jeff Andretti, the founder of the program.Through the power of networking, I went to Nashville to witness my first IndyCar race and met even more influential people in the industry.
I’m a firm believer that dreams can come true if you stay faithful to your vision of success. It will not return to your void. Without trying to force something to go the way you want it to go, let your dreams materialize in the way they were meant to. When I tried to force things to happen, I was very impatient because things didn’t happen when I wanted them to. Destiny has other plans. I learned to concentrate on what I could control and put all of my efforts towards that. I couldn’t control my finances, my upbringing nor my zip code, but I can control my thoughts, actions, and emotions. Do what you can and get out of the way.
As you can see, my journey to become a professional race car driver continues rolling in the right direction and I’m on track to win! I’ve chronicled many of my experiences through pictures and videos on my website, www.kokingracing.com. I’ve had some great experiences so far and I’m on a positive trajectory to the top. See you at the finish line!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
At times during my pursuit to become a professional race car driver, I have certainly been discouraged. As one of very few African-Americans in the sport, there is limited support in our communities. I didn’t have anyone to really guide me through the process so I had to do a lot of research to figure out creative ways to get my foot in the door. My parents weren’t born with silver spoons so funds are limited. When I would ask people about how to get sponsorships, I would always get a vague answer and no progress. What’s more, I learned that most professional race car drivers started between 8 – 10 years old. I was 17 when I got started. Regardless of these obstacles, I have loving parents and a support system of family & mentors who have always encouraged me to never give up if this is truly my passion.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Other activities that I’m interested in and enjoy include building websites and mobile apps and investing.
I’m most proud of the fact that editing a website is what helped me get the opportunity with Jeff Andretti’s FASTTRACK Xperience (The STEAM program for students). The website edit came to me completely by surprise because I was unaware that the person whose site I was editing KNEW Jeff Andretti. He recommended me to participate after learning that I was pursuing a racing career. It’s like the stars aligned.
When I build websites and apps, my superpower is in transforming my clients’ vision into an online presence and capturing their brand’s personality and mission in the design. It’s my belief that every business, especially small businesses should have a presence on the web whether it’s through a mobile app or website.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I believe things happen for a reason and I don’t believe in coincidence. What may appear to be good luck as it relates to some of the experiences I have described, is the result of hard work, dedication, and commitment to my passion. I’ve been fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time for much of my career thus far. I’ve built relationships with some great people and created opportunities for myself so I wouldn’t call it luck. I wouldn’t characterize the challenges I’ve encountered as bad luck. I believe all of these experiences collectively create my story which is part of the legacy that I’ll leave to the world and hope to inspire others to never give up on their own dreams. It’s never too late to be great.
Pricing:
As part of fundraising for my racing career, please visit https://www.kokingracing.com/
- Unisex K.O. King Racing T-Shirt $20
- Embroidered K.O. King Racing Dad Hat $30
- Embroidered K.O. King Racing Trucker Hat $30
- Embroidered Limited Edition I Got Next K.O. King Racing Hat $40
- Women’s K.O. King Racing Fit Tee $20
Contact Info:
- Email: kokingracing@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.
kokingracing.com - Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/k.o.kingracing - Facebook: https://www.
facebook.com/kokingracing20 - Twitter: https://www.twitter.
com/k_o_kingracing - Youtube: https://www.youtube.
com/channel/ UCriYfOD2EYKi0o0UXhcaDlw
